Motion-based technology to support motor skills screening in developing children: A scoping review

Background. Acquiring motor skills is fundamental for children's development since it is linked to cognitive development. However, access to early detection of motor development delays is limited. Aim. This review explores the use and potential of motion-based technology (MBT) as a complement to support and increase access to motor screening in developing children. Methods. Six databases were searched following the PRISMA guidelines to search, select, and assess relevant works where MBT recognised the execution of children's motor skills. Results. 164 studies were analysed to understand the type of MBT used, the motor skills detected, the purpose of using MBT and the age group targeted. Conclusions. There is a gap in the literature aiming to integrate MBT in motor skills development screening and assessment processes. Depth sensors are the prevailing technology offering the largest detection range for children from age 2. Nonetheless, the motor skills detected by MBT represent about half of the motor skills usually observed to screen and assess motor development. Overall, research in this field is underexplored. The use of multimodal approaches, combining various motion-based sensors, may support professionals in the health domain and increase access to early detection programmes.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA

User-defined multimodal interaction to enhance children's number learning

Children today are already exposed to the new technology and have experienced excellent number learning applications at an early age. Despite that, most of the children's application softwares either fail to establish the interaction design or are not child-friendly. Involving children in the design phase of any children application is therefore essential as adults or developers do not know the children’s needs and requirements. In other words, designing children's computer applications adapted to the capabilities of children is an important part of today's software development methodology. The goal of this research is to propose a new interaction technique and usability that evaluates children learning performance of numbers. The new interaction technique is designed by participatory design in which children are involved in the design process. A VisionMath interface was implemented with the user-defined multimodal interaction dialogues which was proposed to evaluate the children’s learning ability and subjective satisfaction. An evaluation with 20 participants was conducted using usability testing methods. The result shows that there is a significant difference in the number learning performance between tactile interaction and multimodal interaction. This study reveals the proposed user-defined multimodal interaction dialogue was successful in providing a new interaction technique for children’s number learning by offering alternative input modality and potentially providing a rich field of research in the future

Novelette, a Usable Visual Storytelling Digital Learning Environment

Educational digital storytelling is widely recognised as a powerful approach in developing literary skills, experiencing problem-solving and computational thinking, information and knowledge visualisation, building creativity and divergent thinking supported by technological solutions. However, educators feel that they miss opportunities, skills, and tools to support pupils developing creativity. Hence, we proposed a digital learning environment, named Novelette, to support both educators and learners in performing visual storytelling by scaffolding them in inventing and authoring stories. The main novelty of our approach lies in embedding literary artifices widely explored in learning settings into a digital learning environment, such as the opportunity to continue someone else’s story and the suggestion mechanism to explore analogies or synonyms starting from a word of interest. Novelette has been ideated not only as a learning environment for educators, but with educators, as it results from a user-centered and participatory design methodology to involve them in the entire design and development process actively. This paper focuses on the assessment of Novelette usability according to both educators and pupils. As a conclusive step of the co-design approach, developers tested the resulting usability according to educators in a controlled environment. Moreover, it reports usability according to learners in real settings at school. Results demonstrate that Novelette is considered usable by both target groups, and it is perceived as a powerful approach in developing creativity both according to quantitative insight offered by the System Usability Scale, a.k.a., SUS, and qualitative interpretations enabled with direct observations and structured after scenario questionnaires. We can conclude that Novelette is a pleasant and usable tool to invent and author stories and seems to be a promising approach to develop creativity

Investigation and development of a tangible technology framework for highly complex and abstract concepts

The ubiquitous integration of computer-supported learning tools within the educational domain has led educators to continuously seek effective technological platforms for teaching and learning. Overcoming the inherent limitations of traditional educational approaches, interactive and tangible computing platforms have consequently garnered increased interest in the pursuit of embedding active learning pedagogies within curricula. However, whilst Tangible User Interface (TUI) systems have been successfully developed to edutain children in various research contexts, TUI architectures have seen limited deployment towards more advanced educational pursuits. Thus, in contrast to current domain research, this study investigates the effectiveness and suitability of adopting TUI systems for enhancing the learning experience of abstract and complex computational science and technology-based concepts within higher educational institutions (HEI)s. Based on the proposal of a contextually apt TUI architecture, the research describes the design and development of eight distinct TUI frameworks embodying innovate interactive paradigms through tabletop peripherals, graphical design factors, and active tangible manipulatives. These computationally coupled design elements are evaluated through summative and formative experimental methodologies for their ability to aid in the effective teaching and learning of diverse threshold concepts experienced in computational science. In addition, through the design and adoption of a technology acceptance model for educational technology (TAM4Edu), the suitability of TUI frameworks in HEI education is empirically evaluated across a myriad of determinants for modelling students’ behavioural intention. In light of the statistically significant results obtained in both academic knowledge gain (μ = 25.8%) and student satisfaction (μ = 12.7%), the study outlines the affordances provided through TUI design for various constituents of active learning theories and modalities. Thus, based on an empirical and pedagogical analyses, a set of design guidelines is defined within this research to direct the effective development of TUI design elements for teaching and learning abstract threshold concepts in HEI adaptations

Motion Based Learning for Preschools Mathematics via Kinect (Counting Number)

Kids start learning numbers since they in preschools. Every kids have difficulties to start learn about mathematics. They do not recognize and might be difficult for them to remember the numbers at first. Teacher will help them to teach and assist them to solve this problem and it usually happens after some stages and time. The only problem is education system use currently is not helping much in increasing the speed of children's learning. With current education system that sometime bored and only use whiteboard as medium of teaching, kids cannot give their full commitment in class. In Malaysia, traditional and conventional teaching still widely being practiced. However, with the advancement of technology nowadays, it can help to overcome this problem. By using current technology, it can help to complement current education system. Education system can utilize the advancement of technology to overcome problem such as boring and not interactive learning. Example of technology that can be use is Kinect. Kinect is a device that can track human body to interact with an application. It can help make learning become active, interactive and at it also involving all body parts. The objective of introducing kinect in education is to develop a motion based learning application for preschools' mathematics. To achieve this objective, the author has decided to test the application for preschools kid age from 3 to 6 years old. It will focus on teaching simple numbers. Kinect in mathematic will cover on basic numbers among preschool kids. Since the time given to develop this project is very limited, the methodology chosen for this development is throwaway prototype methodology. By using throwaway prototyping methodology this project have improved and increase user involvement. Results showing that kids enjoy the kinect technology in mathematics and teachers have found one of interactive ways of teaching. From data collected and analyzed, results showed that kids enjoy this kinect technology in mathematics and at same time teachers have found one of interactive ways of teaching

Developmentally appropriate guidelines for technology augmented pre-schooler toys

Kim To Tse investigated the concerns in creating developmentally appropriate technology augmented pre-schooler toys. He found that parents and child development specialists care for pre-schoolers from different angles. His research outcomes advocate and support the vision of healthy implementation of technology in early childhood while sustaining the toy industry

Immersive Journalism as Storytelling

"This book sets out cutting-edge new research and examines future prospects on 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in journalism, analyzing and discussing virtual world experiments from a range of perspectives. Featuring contributions from a diverse range of scholars, Immersive Journalism as Storytelling highlights both the opportunities and the challenges presented by this form of storytelling. The book discusses how immersive journalism has the potential to reach new audiences, change the way stories are told, and provide more interactivity within the news industry. Aside from generating deeper emotional reactions and global perspectives, the book demonstrates how it can also diversify and upskill the news industry. Further contributions address the challenges, examining how immersive storytelling calls for reassessing issues of journalism ethics and truthfulness, transparency, privacy, manipulation, and surveillance, and questioning what it means to cover reality when a story is told in virtual reality. Chapters are grounded in empirical data such as content analyses and expert interviews, alongside insightful case studies that discuss Euronews, Nonny de la Peña’s Project Syria, and The New York Times’ NYTVR application. This book is written for journalism teachers, educators, and students, as well as scholars, politicians, lawmakers, and citizens with an interest in emerging technologies for media practice.

Effectiveness of STEM courseware based on edugame and assistive approach

Implementing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in curriculum has become an ultimate target for many nations around the world. The implementation of STEM education also has been focused among Malaysian preschoolers. However, majority of preschoolers STEM education throughout the world still rely upon a traditional teaching format that reaches only a subset of student. Many preschoolers are lack of interest and engagement to learn STEM Education due to limited availability of interactive teaching method and tools. Research indicates that, there is limited high-quality assistive technology to drive effective practice for early preschool STEM education. On the other hand, playing games to acquire basic educational skills especially in preschools has been one of the most effective ways of learning. Although the discussion between these two technologies has been gaining strength in recent years, there are limited studies that cover the integrating features between them, especially for STEM education. The purpose of this study is to identify those elements of between the assistive technology and edugames and propose courseware design model for preschoolers STEM education. The study used a systematic literature review (SLR) as a method to identify the courseware component and element of assistive technology and edugames. Hence, the proposed courseware design model consists of four courseware components which are structural component, content composition component, learning approach and technology component. A prototype known as Bridge Master has been developed based on the proposed courseware model. Overall, the result showed a very high score obtained by the preschoolers has utilizing the courseware. This indicates, the Bridge Master courseware design model has been proven as effective for the preschoolers STEM education